Kolly, Tolly, Bolly fun.

Asin is back in Chennai to shoot her new Tamil film Kaavalkkaran directed by Siddique with Vijay as the co-star. It is the remake of Bodyguard made by the same director in Malayalam with Dileep and Nayantara in the lead. It is after a long gap that she is acting in a Tamil film. She has also signed two Hindi films many months after her second film London Dreams flopped.

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Asin talks to press about life in Mumbai and her new films. Excerpts:

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How has life been in Mumbai?

Life has been good. Mumbai has been great, and the city and the industry had been welcoming.

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Did stardom in the Hindi industry, awards and the success of your first film Ghajini come as a surprise to you?

I was not expecting anything. So, there was no surprise or any such feeling. I only wanted the film to do well. Of course, Kalpana (in Ghajini) is a good character. Then there’s the fact that you are acting with Aamir Khan.

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Everything put together, it worked and people liked the end product. People were quite welcoming and appreciative of the way I portrayed Kalpana.

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After the stupendous success of Ghajini, London Dreams did not do well. Were you disappointed?

Not really. Each film has its own fate and you can’t go through personal emotions based on the highs and lows of a film. Acting is a career and you can’t expect everything to work out the way you want. One has to be mature enough to handle that.

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Many actors and actresses sign a number of films after the success of their films but you chose not to sign any film other than London Dreams. Why is it so?

Recently, when Surya was called to receive the Vijay TV Best Actor award for Vaaranam Aayiram, from Kamal Hassan, he came on stage and overcome by emotion, prostrated before Kamal Hassan. A deeply moved Kamal Hassan pulled Surya up and clasped him in a tight hug. The crowd went hysterical. Tears started pouring down the cheeks of veteran actor Shivakumar, Surya’s father. I catch up with Surya on location at Ramavaram, Chennai, where he is shooting for Singham.

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‘I have grown up worshipping Kamal Hassan. To receive the award from him, especially when he was also nominated, was too much to handle.’

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Excerpts from the interview:

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It was a touching gesture….It was a very humbling moment. I have grown up worshipping Kamal Hassan. To receive the award from him, especially when he was also nominated, was too much to handle. I reacted spontaneously.

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But what about your father Shivakumar, a popular actor himself?
Strangely, not so. Though he was in the movies, at home he is like any working parent. Sometimes, when I see his old movies, I wonder if it is the same man sitting next to me who is on-screen giving such a brilliant performance! My coming into the film world was not pre-determined. After finishing college in Coimbatore, I joined a textile company and worked. After some time, when I decided to take up acting, there were huge doubts about whether it was the right choice or not. But I jumped in and here I am today (smiles).

For a 25-film-wonder you have scaled amazing heights, both in terms of performance as well as box-office returns. How do you manage the adulation?

Thank you. I’m extremely aware that this too shall pass. But it did not happen overnight. I had my share of struggling days too. The success came slowly, step by step. I got used to it gradually. My feet are firmly planted on the ground. The film is a make-believe world, let me be in reality.

Gautham Vasudev Menon loves to play to the gallery. Not necessarily in the kind of films that he makes but the kind of quotes he belts out to the media. He has made gems like Minnale, Kaakha Kaakha and the recent Varanam Aayiram. Sridevi Sreedhar delves into the mind of a sensitive filmmaker as his romantic musical Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya gets ready for release. Excerpts from a free wheeling conversation, as he celebrates his birthday today.

mMany Many Happy returns of the day. What’s your plan for the day?

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Thanks a ton (smiles). Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya is all set for release on Friday (Feb 26) worldwide. As usual, I am facing pre-release jitters and last evening I came home after despatching the overseas prints. The first copy of the Telugu version, which is also having a simultaneous release, was given three days back to the producers. I plan to spend my birthday with my family and in the evening I am holding a special show for my close friends, cast and crew of the film. I am too tensed to have a party (smiles). And the best birthday gift that I am getting, is to hear that the film has taken an awesome opening at the advance booking counters all over Tamilnadu.m

What is the genre of the film?

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It is a realistic take on love and works on the theory that what happens on screen need not happen in real life. It is an out and out love story, a genre which I am doing after Minnale. All my last few releases were action films with romance in the backdrop and my friends asked me to make a straight romantic musical. So I decided to make a simple love story which slowly became an intense love story. I realised it only when people in the censor board gave the film an UA certificate. They thought that the subject is so intense that they were forced to give it an UA certification.

mToday Gautham Menon is a brand and people come to the theatres to watch your films. Please comment.

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I am happy to hear that. But all I have to say is that please come to the theatres without any expectations and enjoy some good songs. It is a love story of two people Karthik and Jessy over a period of almost three years. The film is conversation driven and everybody will identify with my lead pair. I have not made them act and most of the time I asked Simbu and Trisha to be natural and it was more like capturing them on candid camera.

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Selvaraghavan is hailed as one of the brightest filmmakers in Tamil. His first film Kadhal Kondein starring his younger brother Dhanush and made in a realistic dark format unlike the usual Tamil films, was a breath of fresh air.
His second film 7G Rainbow Colony was another different and refreshing movie.
But his third film Pudupettai was a disappointment. That was in 2006.

Since then Selva took a break before working on his magnum opus Aayirathil Oruvan (One in a Thousand) which took two years to make.
After many delays, the film is finally releasing on January 14 to coincide with Pongal.

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A very relaxed and jovial Selvaraghavan spoke exclusively to rediff.com’s Shobha Warrier on Aayirathil Oruvan and more.

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What was more difficult for you: making Aayirathil Oruvan or the long wait?

It was like moving from one nightmare to another! There was not much difference between how I felt both the times. Waiting for people’s reaction now is another nightmare!

Why did you decide to take up such a difficult project?

I felt stagnant making the same kind of films. I felt I was not going anywhere. Yes, you either make the same kind of films again and again and feel safe, or do something more challenging. It did not excite me to repeat myself. The very reason why I didn’t pursue a career as a mechanical engineer was because I don’t like monotony — I can’t have the same routine everyday. So, I felt I needed change and challenges as a filmmaker.

The yoga instructor-turned-actress, Anoushka Shetty, debuted in Tamil films with the Sundar C directed ‘Rendu’ opposite Madhavan a few years back. The film flopped at the box office, making Anoushka jittery and forced her to shift base from Kollywood to Tollywood.

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Though she has done quite a few movies in Tollywood, last year’s ‘Arundhati’ ranks as her best hit in all languages till date. The film, a heroine-oriented role, brought to the fore Anoushka’s amazing screen presence and her acting credentials.

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‘The unprecedented success of ‘Arundhati prompted its producer to dub the film in all the South Indian languages. The Tamil version of ‘Arundhati’, released with the same title, ran to packed houses all over the State and even gave the big films a run for their money.

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This prompted Tamil producers and directors to queue up and sign up Anoushka in their films. She has had her comeback venture in Tamil films opposite Vijay in ‘Vettaikaran’ . She also has ‘Singam’ opposite Suriya, another top hero in Kollywood.

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A Tete-a-tete with Anoushka

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How did you feel prior to and after the release of ‘Vettaikkaran’?

It was great to work with Vijay, who is so simple and down-to-earth. I certainly didn’t have any attitude problems with him. The film’s box-office collections are quite encouraging. As an actor, I can only perform and can’t assure the success of all the movies in which I’m involved. We can only do our best and hope for the best.

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How’s your ‘Singam’ opposite Suriya progressing?

‘Singam’ is another typical commercial entertainer buy my role is quite a significant one in the movie. I have been learning Tamil sincerely to look realistic while lip-synching the dialogues and have begun to understand Tamil a lot better now.

Today, Vijay is an icon in his own right- millions of youngsters idolize him. All top producers, directors and heroines want to work with him and his persona gets bigger with each film. He has survived the highs and lows but remains the biggest phenomenon in Kollywood.

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Vijay’s new release Sura has taken a bumper opening worldwide, though he is modest enough to agree with critics that it is another mass formula film. In this exclusive interview to Sridevi Sreedhar, he opens up.

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Excerpts

What is your state of mind?

I am happy, at peace.

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Sura has been torn by critics. There is always a negative talk about your films for the first three days of release. Does all this affect you?

It mattered to me a few years back but today I have crossed that stage. And bad reviews do not affect me or my film. It’s the audiences who decide the fate of a film not critics. Success or failures don’t matter to me. I take everything in my stride and move on. And I want to make a point to critics in general that they have all the right to point out mistakes in anybody’s films but not try to keep the audiences away from theatres as it affects the all-important 10 day business of any film.

Came across this at Bollywhat? forums. I have never seen Mumaith in any other setting apart from the many many item numbers and some stage performances. It’s an interesting watch. She comes across as very natural, bold.